Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald Outlines Plan to Fix Department
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Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald held a press conference on Monday to outline his “Road to Veterans Day” plan to fix the scandal-damaged department.
The three-pronged plan is designed to revamp the Department of Veterans Affairs following months of scandal involving delays in treatment and substandard care. McDonald said that the VA will aim to rebuild trust with veterans and other stakeholders, improve service delivery and set a course for long-term excellence.
The agency has been accused of hiding wait times for veterans seeking care; critics say VA employees’ coverups regarding service led to the deaths of dozens of vets.
McDonald emphasized the importance of transparency and the need to hold those accountable when things go wrong. The VA, he said, will take action as quickly as due process an the law will allow.
In recent months, the department has worked to get veterans off of wait-lists and into clinics, recruit more staff members and deploy mobile medical units. Still, McDonald said the VA was, “deeply sorry for the problems with access to care, with the timeliness of care, and with the quality of care that occurred in Phoenix.”
“I don’t think any investigation could make us feel any better about that. We feel terrible about that,” he added.
McDonald said that he planned many more media engagements in the coming weeks. “Our mission is clear,” he said, “it’s to serve veterans. There is no higher calling than that mission.”
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